OUTFIT: Neutrals + texture (and a bit on my fashion formula)

OUTFIT DETAILS:
Activity: Grown-up mom's day off: hair appointment, shopping, sightseeing

Blazer: Merona, thrifted (similar)
Tee: J. Crew Factory (exact)
Jeans: LOFT (exact)
Scarf: super old, who even knows? (similar)
Bag: Ashley Brooke via DSW (similar)
Boots: Bussola (exact)
Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren (exact)

The feeling when your outfit matches your mood, your plans and the day?  Incredible.  

I struggle with casual outfits much more than dressier ones. I suppose it's because, with a casual outfit, you want to look like you tried, but not too much.  SUCH a hard concept to capture perfectly.  Especially for those of us not living downtown in a large city, we may feel overdressed in some of the killer casual outfits many (way better than me) bloggers post (like this fabulous one or this one) that we pin to our Pinterest fashion boards (or at least I do - somehow I doubt I'm the only one...) . So glamorous, but not very realistic for many of us.  

I've been trying to develop a formula for trying to capture the essence of a casual outfit that looks intentional and fashionable, but not overly dressed up or formulaic.  Not so easy.  However, one thing I think is starting to click is connecting to what I like in fashion outfits, and trying to find a version that works in my real life.  For example, I love blazers.  I think most of my pinned outfit photos in Pinterest involve a blazer - and usually a scarf.  So, that tells me what I like.  Now I just need to translate that to my real life, which involves a relatively casual lifestyle and an insane 4 year old boy.  Enter, the knit blazer (here's what Audrey says about it).  I still have dressier blazers for certain occasions, but I've noticed that I feel overdressed wearing them in my every day life, nor is a dry clean only blazer practical with my current daily lifestyle.  This knit blazer, made in sweatshirt fabric?  Oh yeah, I'll wear that every day.  Add a scarf and a tee that adds a bit of style with the lace overlay, and my mom-iform (mom-uniform - make sense?) becomes something I feel fabulous wearing...  And that's all fashion really should do, in my opinion...

Here's to you finding your formula for personal style - and rocking it!